


This is a Story about a scarlet letter

by fear_her_blurryface



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Emotional Hurt, Other, Suicide Attempt, Suicide Notes, mention of depression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-06-13
Packaged: 2020-04-06 18:50:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19068556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fear_her_blurryface/pseuds/fear_her_blurryface
Summary: Tylers self-hatred get the best out of him and he wants to destroy everything - including Josh.





	1. I'll set my soul on fire

Josh was just leaving the bathroom when his phone rang. "Dun," he answered.   
"Hey Josh, Jenna here"  
"Hey Jenna, how are you and Ty?"  
"Well, that's why I'm calling."   
Now he did notice the tense undertone in her voice.   
"Tyler is not feeling well."  
"Is it getting worse?" he asked worriedly.  
"Yes. He is in a very bad state of mind. He hardly sleeps and skulks around through the house, like a trapped animal. Even when I try to talk to him, he withdraws even more or rejects me aggressively. "  
"Okay, I'll take the next plane to Columbus," he promised her.  
"I thank you, like crazy," Jenna replied, relieved.  
No problem. I'll get in touch with you when I know when I’m going to arrive in Columbus" he replied, and they ended the call.  
High above the clouds, Josh reviewed the last months of their last tour. He had also noticed, that Tyler had become more and more bumpy and even the fans were unsure of his reactions. He had hoped that his friend would come to rest after the tour, but somehow it seemed to gotten worse.  
Jenna picked him up from the airport and after hugging each other, Josh said, "I hope the surprise succeeds when I‘ll come around, tomorrow." Jenna gave him a sad look and said, "The surprise effect will definitely be with you, but prepare yourself that his joy will be limited, maybe. "  
"Is his condition so bad?"   
She nodded and replied, "He saw me leaving and didn‘t even ask where I was going. As if I were a stranger to him that he didn’t need to worry about. "  
Josh made a startled face. Then he hugged Jenna again and said, "I will do everything possible to help him, Jen."

When Jenna let him in the next morning, she told him that Tyler had spent the night in the music studio in the basement.   
Josh grabbed two cups of coffee and made his way down the stairs. He found Tyler sleeping on the couch and woke him gently.   
He rubbed his eyes sleepily and asked in surprise, when he realized who was standing in front of him: "Hey man, what are you doing here?"   
"Looking for you. Jenna and I are worried about you. "Tyler drew an acidified face. "You don‘t need to worry. I'm fine. "  
Josh raised an eyebrow and the singer added," I'm just working on something, that's all. "  
"Ty, that may be, but you weren’t yourself, already at the end of the tour"   
"Oh, it was just the stress," he tried to calm the drummer down, but his friend shook his head.  
"You know what? You need to see what’s going on in front of your door. So please drink your coffee and then we'll go for a ride. "Josh's determined look made it clear that the proposal was non-negotiable, so Tyler sat in Josh's car some time later and they drove through the streets of Columbus into direction of Cleveland.  
"Where do you want to go with me?" Tyler asked, but Josh smiled at him and said: "It‘s a surprise."  
And Tyler was surprised when his friend stopped the car in the parking lot of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park two hours later.   
"Hiking?! Are you serious? " the singer asked.   
"Jupp" Josh answered and got out.   
Reluctantly, Tyler did the same. " Do you give me the car keys at least, in case I fail?" He asked and his friend followed his request.  
They walked in silence for a while until Josh said, "Ty, look at the magnificent nature around us. All this was created to remind us that we are part of this wonderful world. "  
His friend looked at him and replied sarcastically, "When did you mutate into a preacher? Did I miss something?“ Josh looked at him in dismay. He knew that Tyler could be bitchy, yet his words hurt him.  
The singer took advantage of the drummer's silence and continued, "What if I'm sick of it, Josh?   
What if I don‘t feel like being part of this wonderful world?   
What if I'm tired of being the babysitter for all these drama queens in the clique?"Now he looked his friend straight in the eyes and Josh could see the frustration and pain in his.  
"What do you want then?"  
"I, I don‘t know. I would like to disappear and leave everything behind. "


	2. I hope I'm not my only friend

They went on in silence, while Josh panicked. They reached the Brandywine Falls and after they passed them, the drummer finally found the courage to ask, "Are you thinking of giving up the band?"  
"Yes," his friend answered curtly. Josh jaw dropped and he looked shocked at the singer.  
"Tyler, you can‘t really want that?"  
"Oh, really?!" he snapped. "Don‘t tell me what I want. You're just worried about yourself. "  
"What ?!" retorted the drummer, starting to get angry, cause his friend went way to far.   
"How ..." he began, but Tyler interrupted him.  
" You are nothing, without me! I do most of the work. And I'm so tired of it. "  
Josh was shocked and he said flatly, "So that’s the way, you're thinking about me ?! So I'm just a burden for you? After all, what we experienced and went through together?! "  
"That's long gone," Tyler commented, turning away.   
The drummer was speechless. How could Tyler hurt him like that? He was unable to move and so the singer was almost out of view, when Josh started to move again.  
It started to rain and when Josh walked along the slippery rock path to catch up with Tyler, he suddenly slipped. He hit his head against a rock wall and lost consciousness.

From far away he heard a rushing noise as he slowly awoke. His head was throbbing and it took him a while to see clearly. Josh tried to sit up and immediately regretted it, as a stabbing pain shot through his head.  
He tried to remember where he was and when the last events came rushing back like a torrent, a whimper escaped him. Gasping for air, he saw Tyler's face again in front of him, who had spit all this nasty things straight in his face.   
Tears began to run down his cheeks and he couldn‘t suppress a sob. He clapped his hands over his face and and cried. He didn‘t care that the rain had soaked him completely in the meantime.   
When he had no tears left, only a numb feeling remained. Everything was dead in him and he walked slowly along the rock path without paying attention to, which direction he took. The rain hits his face and lightnings flashed across the gray sky above his head. Before Josh knew it, it was getting dark, but the storm hadn‘t lost none of its power. Tired, he settled under a ledge. His body shook with cold and his head throbbed, but he didn‘t care.   
He looked around the floor and saw a large piece of broken glass on the ground. Like in a trance, he picked her up and turned her over in his hand. A lightning flashed above his head and a thought began to form in his martyred mind.   
'What if ... What if I give this shard of glass a new task ...' He pulled up the left sleeve of his hoodie and pressed the tip of the shard into his forearm. The first drops of blood began to swell from the wound. When he was about to pull the glass along his forearm, he suddenly heard a soft voice beside his ear: "Don‘t do that, please."


	3. Taken by sleep

Before he could react, a pale hand took the shard from his hand and threw it away. Josh looked shocked at the unknown person and needed some seconds to realize who was kneeling in front of him. A woman in her 30s was about to put a tissue on his arm.   
When she looked at him, Josh was surprised by the inner calm that radiated off her eyes. "Believe me, that doesn‘t solve anything"  
"I ... I", he began, but he realized quite quickly that it was pointless to try to fool her. Instead, he murmured softly, "Thank you."  
"No cause," she replied softly. "May I ask for your name ?"  
"Josh. And who are you?"  
"Josephine. Or Josie, for the sake of simplicity. "She smiled shyly at him, holding out her free hand. "Let's go a little further under the ledge" He took her hand and wondered where she had come from so suddenly.  
Surprised, he discovered that there was a small cave further down under the ledge.   
He began to shiver with the cold, which prompted Josie to gather a few dry branches and light a fire.   
"Take off your hoodie," she told him as the fire burned. He did and was amazed when she came up with an old blanket and put it around his shoulders. "I've never met a woman who could make a fire," he said approvingly.  
She smiled and replied, "Well, no one can say, that you don‘t learn anything from the Boy Scouts."   
Now he couldn‘t help himself, but smile.   
"You have a nice smile," she remarked with a gentleness that touched him.   
"Thanks," he replied, blushing slightly.  
"Now we should really take care of your wounds," she changed the subject and started pounding some leaves into a mash.  
As Josh watched her, he had a chance to take a closer look at Josie. Her skin was pale as porcelain and a strand of her dark blond hair slipped into her face, which she blew away once in a while. Her blue-gray eyes studied the mash before her pink lips twisted into a contented smile. "Well" she said. "This will give you relief"  
Josh raised an eyebrow. "Um, are you sure?"  
"Yes, I am," she said and began to put the mash on his arm and head. Then she bandaged the wounds. The drummer was suprised when he immediately felt a cool effect that reduced his pain significantly. A lightning lit the cave and a rumble rolled over them. In the glare, he realized that Josie's clothes looked strangely ancient.  
"Josh, may I ask you something?" she tore him from his thoughts  
"Sure"  
"Who is Tyler?"  
His face turned in a petrified look and first tears began to pave their way.  
"Oh no ... I didn‘t meant to make you cry" he heard Josie say and he could feel her hand gently stroking his cheek. This simple gesture was enough to let Josh break into a crying mess.   
She pulled him into a gently hug and slowly running circles on his back . Her closeness seemed to take the weight off his heart, which seemed to get crushed in sorrow. He couldn’t know, that she saw, what he saw and felt, what he felt.  
She began to hum a soft melody and her deep, calm voice let him float into a deep sleep, so he didn‘t notice, she carefully broke away from him and disappeared.


	4. And somebody told me

Tyler cursed as he drove back to Columbus through the pouring rain. Should Josh see how he came back home from this stupid park. He was not obliged to wait for him for forever.  
He was trying to find a decent radio station at his car radio, when he saw something out of the corner of his eye and looked onto the street. In the middle of the road stood a woman and looked at him. He hit the brakes, knowing that he couldn‘t prevent a collision, anymore. The singer closed his eyes and awaited the impact, but the car came to a halt without colliding with anything.  
Tyler's eyes widened and he looked behind him at the deserted street.   
"What?" he exclaimed. However, when he turned back to the front, the woman from the street sat next to him. "Hello Tyler," she said, looking intently at him. He was speechless and rigid with fear. "Didn‘t you forget someone in the park?"  
"What? How do you know? Who are you? Did Josh send you? "  
"Josh, didn‘t send me" she answered curtly. "And instead of asking me stupid questions, you should think about why you hurt and reject the people that really love you." Her words hadn‘t missed their impact and hit the singer hard. He swallowed and murmured barely audible: "Because, ... because I didn‘t deserve them."   
He lowered his eyes and looked at his hands lying idly in his lap.  
"Tyler, did you ever think about, that you are worthy of them?" He felt cool fingers lifting his chin gently up and the next moment he looked the strange woman in the eye, again. The gentleness he found in them, surprised him. "Behind all your doubt, your grief, and even your self-hatred, they see the wonderful human being that you are."  
"How can they see something in me that I cannot find in myself?"  
"Because some things you can only see with a heart, that isn’t yours." she replied, placing her hand on his chest. "Close your eyes" she told him, and he did. "I'll show you how much Josh loves you."   
Tyler was literally swept away by a tsunami of warmth and light. He had never felt so loved - except for Jenna. Everything was warm, soft and safe. Nothing could harm him, in this protective wall of love around him.  
Slowly, the feeling faded, until it was completely gone and he opened his eyes again. The woman took her hand off his chest and smiled wearily at him.  
He looked at his mysterious passenger: "I was such an total idiot"  
"Yes, you were."  
A lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the car for a fraction of a second. Tyler noticed how pale the young woman was next to him.   
The loud thunder tore him from his thoughts and he said in panic, "Oh my God, Josh is still out there in this storm.   
I have to go back, I have to apologize to him! I have to make up for the shit I've done! "  
He put the gear in and turned.   
"But where should I look for him?" He asked himself, then looked at his companion for help.   
"Follow the light," she said to him. He accelerated the car and turned his head back to his passenger. But she was gone.


	5. Wish we could turn back time

Josh rolled uneasily in his sleep as Josefine reappeared in the small cave. She knelt down next to him and began to stroking his hair gently.  
Suddenly he grabbed her hand and she stopped. "I ... I don‘t deserve your care" he said softly. She gently squeezed his hand and replied, "I think you do, Josh."  
The drummer suddenly moved away from her and desperately screamed at her: "You don‘t even know me! You don‘t know how useless I am! Tyler was right to want to get rid of me. I'm just a stupid drummer. I can‘t offer more than that." He buried his face in his hands and began to cry.  
"Even if you don‘t want to believe it right now Josh, you're so much more than just a drummer" He didn‘t answer, but Josefine hadn‘t really expected that either.  
She put a blanket over his trembling shoulders and put more wood in the fire before retiring.

The moon had broken through the clouds, plunging the Brandywine Falls into its pale light. Josie looked up at the earth satellite, which hung fully in the sky. It would probably always be that way. She, the moon and all the pale nights that would come. She wandered through the nocturnal park for a while, listening to the sounds of the night, like she had done it many times before.

 

Josh looked at her as she entered the cave again and said, "Josie, I'm so sorry for yelling at you. It’s not your fault, that Tyler did what he did" and looked down. She sat down opposite him and answered: "It's okay, Josh. I can understand you. Your pain just wanted to get out." He gave her a slightly dumbfounded look and replied, "You‘re right, but that's still no reason to abuse you as a buffer." She smiled gently at him and said," Forgiven and forgotten, okay? "Before Josie knew it, the drummer hugged her and whispered" Thank you. "  
She eased away from him and asked, "Josh, what did Tyler do exactly?"   
He looked at her and there was so much pain in his eyes. He let out a shuddering sigh before he began to speak. Josephine took his hand and it was as if the pain was losing its sharpness again.  
After the drummer finished, she answered  
"What Tyler did was really unacceptable," then she added after a pause, "but it still seems to me that he wasn‘t really himself, that this gripping darkness inside of him let him act like this, out of pure despaire. He rather hurt the people he loves and scares them away, then take the risk they drown in his darkness as well. "

Josh couldn‘t guess how true her words were. When she touched Tyler back in the car, she could see and feel the darkness in him. It was like a storm raging in him, tearing his soul apart.

Josh thought for a while about her words and then said in a trembling voice: "He, he has literally thrown me out of his life. I don‘t know how to react to this. "Again tears started to run down his cheeks.  
Josie hugged him tenderly and whispered softly in his ear: "Jishwa, believe me, you are loved. Your family, your friends and your fans are loving you dearly. And even if it sounds totally idiotic, even Tyler loves you."  
"I think he has long forgotten what it was like, when we toured Ohio with our little van. All the nights when we slept on the little mattress, because we couldn‘t even afford a lousy hotel. Sometimes I miss those times a lot" the drummer answered sadly.  
" With our success, we have moved away from each other in some way“   
"Jishwa, I don‘t think so. You both have evolved, grown older. That changes a lot. The both of you are like two interwoven trees. You've grown over the years, and the weave patterns of your branches may have changed, but you're still intertwined with each other. "  
Josie stroked his back reassuringly and the drummer leaned into her embrace. After a while of silence, she heard him muttering, "I think you're right ..." then he fainted.  
Josie carefully laid him on the ground and felt his burning forehead. Then she reloaded the fire and looked out into the night. She sighed and said softly, "Hurry up Tyler. He doesn‘t have much time left ... "


	6. You ran the race, you fought the fight

The singer brought his car to a halt in the parking lot of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and stumbled out of the car into the stormy night.  
The rain hits him in the face as he ran in the direction of the Brandyvine Falls, calling Josh's name over and over again without receiving an answer. Tyler had just passed the bridge on the falls and was about to call his friend's name again when he noticed a faint, bluish, shimmering light at a distance.  
'Follow the light', the advice of the unknown woman came to his mind again and he moved in his direction. It was not long before he realized the outline of a ledge. "Josh!" He shouted, but received no answer. Only a lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the nocturnal scenery. For a fraction of a second, he could see something under the ledge and rushed toward it. He kept the flashlight of his cell phone on the floor until he saw Josh's pale face in the cone of light.  
Tyler dropped to his knees beside the drummer and pulled him into his arms. "Josh! Josh, what happened?! "he asked desperately, but his friend didn‘t respond. He picked up his cell phone and hastily dialed the emergency call.  
The singer felt like centuries had passed before the paramedics found them. Even as they pushed Josh into the ambulance, he stayed by his side, no matter how much the paramedics begged him to sit in front next to the driver.

Josie stood on the high rock above the ledge and watched the ambulance vanish as a small dot in the distance, with a melancholy smiling on her face.

Josh woke up from a restless sleep and mumbled sleepily, "Josie?" While his eyes needed some time to get used to the light. He was just beginning to realize that he wasn‘t longer under the ledge when a familiar face came into view.  
Josh looked totally perplexed at him, and asked, "Tyler?"  
"Oh my God Josh, I'm so glad you woke up! I, I am so terribly sorry for how I behaved towards you. I..I hope you can forgive me for being such a huge asshole " the singer blurted out.  
"Where am I? Where is Josie? " the drummer asked instead, still overwhelmed by the whole situation.

The next moment a doctor entered the room with a nurse. The doctor asked the nurse to leave the room with Tyler and take care of him. Then he sat down in the chair where the singer had just sat and said, "Hello Mr. Dun, I'm Doctor Hemsworth. You are at St. Trinitas Hospital in Cleveland. How are you?"  
It took Josh a few seconds before he answered, "I think, okay. Exhausted, but okay. "When the doctor nodded in satisfaction, the drummer asked "Is Josie here, as well? "  
The doctor looked at him in surprise and replied:  
" I don‘t think so. Only Mr. Joseph was with you when you were admitted. "Josh made a disappointed face and the doctor asked," Is this Josie your girlfriend? "  
"No. She, ... she helped me back in the park. I ... I wanted to thank her. "  
"Was she the one who took care of your wounds?"  
The drummer nodded silently.  
"Well, then you should thank her indeed. You had blood poisoning and their wound care stopped the infection long enough for us to be still able to help you. If your friend had found you just a little bit later, it wouldn‘t have worked out so well. "After a short break, he added" If your blood results are okay tomorrow, you can leave the hospital. " Then the doctor rose and left the room again.


	7. And I just can't believe it has to be this way

Josh thought of Josie, wondering how he might go to see her again when the door opened again and Tyler entered the room. He looked uncertainly at the drummer before slowly settling down in the chair beside his bed. He took a shaky breath and began, "Josh, I'm so sorry. I, .. I was such an asshole. "  
"Yes, you were" commented his friend. The singer nodded and continued: "I, I am so glad that I found you in time. Oh God, if you had died ... I would never forgive myself ... my life would be over. "  
"That you have found me in time, you have to owe Josie in the first place" Josh replied.  
"Who is Josie?" Tyler asked confused.  
"Was no one with me when you found me?"  
"No. I just saw a bluish light that led me to you. When I found you, it was gone. "  
The drummer was silent and lowered his eyes sadly.  
After a while he said, "Tyler, I think I'd rather be alone now." The singer looked at his friend in surprise, but he followed his request without saying anything and left the room.  
Josh couldn‘t tell how long he had just stared at the ceiling when there was a soft knock on his door. He was surprised when a park ranger entered the room, holding a large bouquet of flowers and an envelope in his hands.  
"Good evening, Mr. Dun" he said shyly and stepped carefully to the drummer’s side. When Josh gave him a smile, he sat down and continued, "My name is Henry Whittaker and I am a park ranger in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. We learned about your accident in our park and I wanted to check on you. "  
"That's nice of you" the drummer replied. "I'm feeling better again."  
"I'm very happy to hear that. Hoping that we can welcome you back in our park, despite the unfortunate circumstances, my team and I brought you and your bandmate two annual passes for the park. "  
He handed Josh the envelope with a recovery card that was signed by the park's entire team, including the two year passes. While the drummer looked at all the names, Henry continued, "I'm really glad your friend found you under Josie's rock. That was really luck, considering that the rock is quite hidden. "  
Josh looked at the ranger in surprise and asked in astonishment: "Josie's rock? You know Josie? "  
Now it was Henry, who looked at him suprised. Then he asked carefully, "You know her?"  
"Yes! She helped me. She has taken care of my wounds. She saved my life. In more ways than one. "  
"What did she look like?" The attendant asked, as if to make sure that they both really meant the same person. Josh was really excited and described her to him. He just didn‘t understand why the ranger was starting to move restlessly in his chair.  
"Do you know where I can find her? I would like to thank her. "  
Henry looked at him regretfully and began slowly: "Um, I think that will be a bit difficult ..."  
"Why?" Josh asked confused.  
"Because ... because Josie died a long time ago, Mr. Dun."  
His jaw dropped and he stammered: "No, that can‘t be true! I, ... I talked to her. I touched her. She was real. "  
"Mr. Dun, you are not the first one who met her. In all the years I've been a park ranger, some visitors have already told me about her. If you like, she is the good spirit of the park, which has helped a few visitors. But never to that extent, as in your case. "  
The drummer looked at him helplessly, unable to respond to this. He refused to accept this information. That had to be a mistake.  
Henry was guessing what was going on inside of him when he said, "When you are well again, you can come to visit the Visitor Center. There is a photo of her and we have some information about her life. However, I would like to warn you in advance: The content is tragic. "  
Josh nodded wordlessly and Henry left shortly thereafter.


	8. Don't be afraid, we're going home

That night, Josh lay awake for a long time, racking his brain, searching for answers to all of this. At some point he fell into a restless sleep.

The next morning he received the news that he could leave the hospital. Since morning Tyler had been with him and was visibly insecure to find his friend so silent and distant. "Josh, what's wrong with you?" He asked softly, but his friend only shook his head and stayed silent. He was in no mood to explain anything to Tyler. He couldn‘t understand the whole thing himself - not yet.  
As they sat in the car and Tyler was about to turn the key to start the engine, Josh asked "Would you do me a favor, Ty?"   
"Sure. Anything you want, Jishwa, "and smiled at him, glad, his friend was starting to talk to him again.   
"I want to go back to the park."   
The singer was surprised, but he nodded and started the car.  
The ride was silent. Tyler felt Josh's inner turmoil, but he knew too well, that it doesn’t made sense, to force a conversation.  
When they reached the park, Tyler wanted to buy two tickets, but Josh pulled out the season tickets and said, "That's not necessary, Ty."   
"Where did you get those from?" His friend asked in surprise.   
"A park ranger visited me yesterday" the drummer explained and handed Tyler his card.  
After passing through the entrance, Josh headed to the Visitor Center and Tyler wanted to ask him what he was up to. But when he realized that his friend was getting more and more nervous, he let it go.  
As they entered the building, Josh asked about Henry. 

"Mr. Dun, I didn‘t expect to see you so soon, again " the ranger said in surprise, after greeting the two. " I just want to know," Josh answered quietly and Henry nodded silently. Tyler followed the two into the showroom. They were heading in the park history section and he asked himself more and more, what was the reason for.  
Henry stopped in a small niche and pointed to a display case. "Here's her picture and the few legacies we could find." Josh nodded silently and the ranger retreated.   
For a fraction of a second, Tyler could see in Josh's eyes and was more than worried when he found fear in them. But before he could ask, Josh stepped up to the display case and he heard the drummer's breath catch.  
Now Tyler also wanted to know what was bothering his friend so much, and he joined him to see what this showcase contained.  
When his eyes landed on the photo, his eyes went wide and he exclaimed, "That's not possible!" Josh's head snapped around and he asked in a trembling voice "What‘s not possible?" The singer saw the pain in Josh's face and he said softly, "Is that Josie?"   
The drummer nodded silently and his friend continued, "I know her, too."  
"How, how do you know her? Didn‘t you say, she wasn‘t with me when you found me? "  
"Yes, she wasn‘t."   
The singer ran a hand over his face and said: "She ... has appeared to me. I ... I was already on my way back to Columbus when ... when she suddenly stood in the middle of the street and stopped me. She ... she rebuked me and put my head back in place. But ... but the best part was, she showed me how much you love me, Josh. "  
His friend looked at him stunned. "So, you really meant to leave me here all alone?"   
Tyler looked at him imploringly and replied, "Josh, I was a big asshole, I know. My behavior was really unacceptable, but please believe me, I'm so sorry and if I could, I'd undo it all. "  
"Unacceptable ... That's what Josie called your behavior, as well" the drummer replied in a cold voice. "And yet she defended you, Tyler. Nevertheless, she has tried to convince me that you love me, that you care about me. "  
The singer was about to say something, but Josh interrupted him, "I tell you something: Without Josie, I would be dead now, and not just because of the blood poisoning. I wanted to kill myself, Tyler. She stopped me. "  
The singer clapped his hand over his mouth and whispered in shock, "Oh God Josh, I didn‘t want that." Tears began to run down the singer's cheeks and his legs gave way. He would have fallen to the ground, if he hadn‘t been caught by Josh's strong arms. Tyler clung to his friend as if his life depended on him, which in a way, it did. "I'm so sorry, I'm so terribly sorry, Josh!" the singer repeated again and again, as he buried his face in Josh's chest and was close to hysteria. The drummer started stroking his back gently and mumbled, "I think we both owe Josie a lot."  
His friend nodded assentingly into his chest and they stood in that position for a while in silence.  
After Tyler had calmed down, they both turned back to the showcase. The photo in it was very old, but Josie was clearly recognizable. She even wore the same dress in which Josh had met her. In the corner of the picture stood 1912.  
Below the photo was the following text:  
One of the first families who settled in this area was the Walker family ...... The daughter Josefine Walker fell in love with the son of the landlord Leonard Murphy, who seemed to reciprocate her feelings. However, his father exerted massive pressure on his son to let go of this flirtation and did everything to discredit Josefine.  
His son finally gave in and dropped Josefine. Her family also withdrew her support and rejected her.  
Josefine disappeared, but weeks later a hiker found her body under a ledge that is now part of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. She had killed herself and left a letter where traces of blood can still be seen. '  
Next to the text was a stained piece of paper in faded script:

"If it's a crime to love, I'm guilty.  
If it's a crime to love over my social rank, I'm guilty.  
If it's a crime to hope I'm guilty.  
If it's a crime to live, I'm guilty.  
Now I pay my debt '

As Josh read the letter, he began to tremble and tears began to run down his cheeks, silently.  
Tyler stroked his back gently and Josh said in a strangled voice "Now I know why she said suicide leads to nothing."  
They left the visitor center and Josh looked at the Brandyvine Falls. "Let's go, Jishwa. We need to say thank you, to a very special human being " Tyler said, grabbed Joshs hand and they started to made they way to the waterfalls. Josh was grateful that the singer accompanied him. They stopped briefly at a flower stall and bought two red roses. They also got a piece of paper and some yellow ribbon. Tyler squeezed Joshs hand reassuringly as they came closer and closer to Josie's rock.  
The sun began to set as they reached the ledge. Josh looked around, but there was no one to see. "Josie?" He asked uncertainly into the dusk, but everything remained silent. "Josie, it's me, Josh."   
"And Tyler," the singer added softly. Again they received no answer. After a short pause, the drummer started "Josie, I don‘t know if you can hear me, but I want to thank you with all my heart. You've saved me from a big mistake and I'll always be grateful for that. "  
"I'd like to thank you, as well" Tyler began. "Thank you for kicking my ass, and I'd like to thank you for saving Josh. We will never forget you."  
After the singer had finished, silence fell over the place, again. Josh took the piece of paper and wrote something on it. Then he passed it on to Tyler who also attached something. The drummer rolled up the paper and tied it to the two roses before placing the flowers in front of the entrance of the small cave.  
With a sigh, they set off on the way back and were on their way back to Columbus a short time later.

Josie picked up the roses and smelled them. It was a long time since someone had given her flowers. Carefully, she opened the piece of paper and smiled as she read the text:

Dear Josie,

We thank you for everything and will always love you for what you have done for us.  
Josh & Tyler  
(P.S Forgive yourself, cause who is able to Love like you do, has wings already – use them) Ty

She was deeply touched and pressed the small piece of paper against her chest, before she dissolved into nothingness.


End file.
